The Portland daily press., 1887-09-19

merely to discuss the question; it will have
no power to bind the people of the United
States to any such arrangement as the Hall
fax award of $5,OOO,oOO was unless the peo-
pie say so.
The old flagship Tennessee, which rods the
ripples in our harbor so proudly summer be-
fore last has entered final and miserable
stage of her career. When built in 1865 the
Tennessee cost million and half of dol
lars and was regarded as one of the prettiest
models in the navy. She was called the Mad
awaska then, and under that name made her
first trip TO the West Indies. On her return
she was rechristened, and was for a time at
tached to the East Indian squadron. For
many years, however, she has been the flag
ship Of the North Atlantic squadron under
Admirals Wyman, Cooper, Jouett, and Luce.
Six months ago she was condemned as unfit
for further service and ordered to be sold.
Last week she was purchased at auction by
the Meridian Railway Company of Connecti-
cut. She will pass her old age as freighter.
carrying very likely loads of coal and ice /;
In place Of the brilliant officers, gay middies
and brawny seamen that made her decks and
cabins so attractive on Portland's centennial
year. For years to come the Tennessee may
float our waters as freighter. Built in 1865
she is but twenty-five years old. Although
declared too old for the navy, she is vet
young compared with some of the vessels
that float in our merchant service. In the
spring OF 1886 the bark Amethyst, of San
francisco, was in her sixty-ffth year, yet
was thought staunch enough to 90 into the
Arctic ocean on whaling voyage. Her old
hulk, built in Boston in 1922, has just been
found broken in two on the shore of one of
the Alaskan Islands No one knows what
became OF her crew. In less arduous service
~slan whaling her life might have been pro-
longed longer. There recently came into the
narbor or 81. John. N. b.. the clipper ship
Friedrich, from Porsgrund, Norway. The
Friedrich, then called the Ocean Express,
was launched from Boston yard ten years
before the launching of the Tennessee, yet is
still useful, having passed first under the
German flag and then under the Norwegian.
Improbable and Uncomfortable"
Gen. Dow is confident that The PRESS
cannot mention single temperance man
"tAD NoNo NV NOoAtO AOStothtlOu Iudb Will ItI-
der liquor selling "unprofitable and uncom-
Portable" The PRESS frankly admits that
it cannot. But the inference from Gen.
Dow's remark is that existing legislation
does not make liquor selling "unprofitable
and uncomfortable" and, if we mistake not,
Gen. Dow has recently very explicitly ex-
pressed that opinion. On this point The
PRESS begs leave to differ with the General.
In the opinion of The PRESS, existing legis-
lation makes it so Improbable and uncom-
Portable" to sell rum that there is not man
In this State outside of an idiot asylum who
would undertake the business If he felt sure
that its penalties would be visited upon him.
The present law, insinuates Gen. Dow, does
not make it improbable for man to sell
rum. Yet the present law provides that the
moment man gets stock of liquors togeth-
er. designed for sale, it shall be confscated,
and the owner shall not receive a
cent for it,; but, on the other
hand, shall pay a fine for having it.
And this process Of confiscation is to be re-
peated as often as the dealer buys stock. III
a man today buys $4,000 worth of LIQUORS in
Boston and brings them to Portland for sale.
the very moment they reach here the law con-
fiscates them and pours them into the gutter.
II he renews his stock tomorrow the law
again confscates it. And so Oh indefinitely.
Does Gen. Dow consider the purchase Of
liquor to spill in the gutter a profitable
transaction? If so he had better consult the
purchaser and see what he thinks aboutit
But Gen. Dow thinks the law does not
make the rum business uncomfortable. Let
us see about that. We imagine that 1t is NOT
very comfortable for man who has Just ex
pended large sum of money for an article
to see that article destroyed. But ignore that.
Let us see il the law does not make the rum
seller uncomfortable in other ways. For keep
ing drinking house and tipping shop, for
single sale and for being common seller
imprisonment as well as fine is prescribed
for the first offence, and for subsequent Of
fence the term Of Imprisonment
is greatly increased. Two searches and
seizures also subject him to imprisonmentand
so do two indictments for nuisance. The
ordinary rumseller is guilty of all these dis
tinct offences at the same time, and indict-
ments for each of them may be brought
against him at the same term of court. That
is he can be indicted for being common
seller, for keeping drinking house and tip
ping shop, for maintaining nuisance and
for single sale, and the evidence that will
convict him of any one of the first three
VIII convict him of all. And for these
onences he must go to Jail for several
months. There is no discretion in the court.
lie must go to Jail. Now going to Jail is not
generally regarded as comfortable. If he |
still continues to violate the law his term of
Imprisonment is greatly heightened. 1t is |
not an uncommon thing for rumseller to |
60 to Jail for a year besides paying fines
amounting TO $500 or $780, Gen. Dow NAV
not regard this as uncomfortable, but we are |
inclined to think the rumseller will disagree
with him and in this case the rumseller's
opinion is worth more than Gen. Dow's be-
cause it is founded on experience.
The truth is the law makes rumselling un-
profitable enough and uncomfortable enough
to drive everybody out of the business. II
it were perfectly enforced there would not
be rumseler in Maine today There could
not be one. for the law takes away the
means of violating it, The difficulty is that no
way has yet been discovered to make the
law practically what it is theoretically. I'm
iike most others laws on the Statute book
WINE ~ mas very strong public sentiment |
III us FAVOR, 1t has, too, considerable public |
sentiment against it or at least Indifferent |
TO 1t which will do nothing towards its en-